Context, Jian Gomeshi, and what Q needs now.

I hear some of CBC’s Q most every weekday. Leaving aside any discussion about the scandal surrounding Jian Gomeshi, I note that this show is really missing his talent as the host. And, comparing various hosts to Jian, I am left wondering how the current context affects our perception.

I like to quote a study from the movie industry in which audiences were shown identical clips of an actor with a neutral expression on his face. This study often informs my thinking on context. For one audience the actor was juxtaposed with happy, celebratory scenes of a wedding. For another audience the identical clip of the same actor was juxtaposed with sad, mournful scenes of a funeral. In the former case the audience reported that the actor was very good at expressing joy. In the latter, the report was that he was very good at sorrow. Identical clips, same actor, radically different interpretations of his facial expression because of context. Fascinating. And as I often say, context matters. A lot.

Listing to Q, I find myself wondering at the real importance of the host and his or her presentation. How does the context – the host – affect my perception of the show? 

Terry O’Rielly is brilliant on Under the Influence. Having come to love him there, where his presentation is that of knowledgeable narrator, I struggle to accept him as a chat show host at Q. He filled in for Jian in that past and it felt awkward to me.

I was never a big fan of Jian personally – I found that from time to time his ego surfaced in his interviews and it troubled me. But, I was mostly very impressed by his presentation. He rarely sounded like he was reading and if he did, he wanted you to know that he was because it was part of the bit. He was a good listener, often picking up on a thread in the conversation and following it despite the prepared questions he had in front of him. He was elegant, natural, and dramatic. Occasionally too much, but mostly I felt that he was remarkably informed and knowledgeable. With Jian I rarely heard that hand of the producer – it sounded like it was all Jian. He didn’t write his own opening essays. I was amazed to learn this. He made them intimately his own with his presentation.

The temporary hosts that I have heard at some length are struggling to fill the void.

I hear Wab Kinew reading. He may not be. But, his deep voice and methodical presentation sound like reading, to me. His cadence, to my ear, is not as conversational as Jian and I am left feeling that he is disengaged in a lot of his interviews.

Piya Chattopadhyay is frequently not listening, although I think this is because she is frequently talking to guests out of her area of expertise. Jian, for instance, was intimately acquainted with pop music. His natural expertise in this area shone in interviews with musical guests. Piya is uncomfortable in this area and is, thus, much more dependent upon the preparation of the producers. I hear her moving on to the next prepared question instead of listening. He music interviews lack flow.

Wab and Piya are in a nearly impossible position. They are both very talented broadcasters. But the context of Q is such that it’s almost impossible to succeed. Listeners, like me, are waiting to knock you down. We don’t do it on purpose but because of the context of Jian’s departure we are hypersensitive listeners. We are alert for every imperfection. And we are hearing the imperfections because the model, to date, has been to have the new hosts do Jian’s show. CBC is inviting intense comparison because it's the same show, with new hosts.

Ultimately, CBC needs to recast the context. There is a lot invested in Q. If I were CBC I would try to maintain the good will built up in the entertainment industry by keeping the time slot and general pop culture themes. But, I would re-brand the entire show. New name, new host, new features, new everything. Remove the current context. Stop listeners from constantly comparing the current hosts to the past. Like it or not, it was Jian’s show. Perhaps you can keep the name but at the very least you need to remake everything inside. Jimmy Fallon, for instance, has re-made The Tonight Show. It is now so different that it’s impossible to constantly compare him to Jay Leno or Johnny Carson. Q requires this level of remake. Otherwise it is a lame animal limping along in the constant shadow of its defrocked former host because that is the context that we are hearing it in.